The Krusty Krab: From Humble Beginnings
by sheldonplankton92
Summary: This is a story of the Krusty Krab and how Squidward and Jim first applied there.
1. Chapter 1: Grand Opening

The year was 1979.

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Eugene Krabs had just opened his new restaurant, the Krusty Krab.

His delicious Krabby Patties had already gotten his childhood friends hooked back in his first business at the city dump. Some of them even came back just to try more.

Unfortunately, he found out that wasn't enough to gather in the big bucks. So he tried something he never tried before: advertising.

Even though he was cheap, he didn't care how much money was spent for pubilicity. So he paid for anything to promote his product.

Parades:

A big one was being held at Town Hall. It had everything; Krabby Patties in giant Afros to get hip with the younger audience, a full marching band dressed like condiments.

He even gave out $20 samples. They didn't care how much money they wasted; it was worth it.

Commercials:

Krabs paid for costly sets and big named celebrities. All he had to do was get them hooked on one bite.

He already had a cult following, despite his line " _WE CHANGE OUR GREASE MONTHLY._ "

In two short weeks, his one-man business was booming.

But he found out something was missing: competition whose faces he could rub his product in.

Back at his house, he was forlorn. He wondered if what he was selling wasn't competition-material.

Then it hit him. He never actually bragged about his product.

One week later, a commercial came on TV that said: "Eat at the Krusty Krab! Our Krabby Patties are the best in the biz. One bite and everything else might as well be like eating chum."

An unseen hand hurled a brick at the large TV screen.

"Might as well be eating chum, eh? We'll see which product tastes like chum by the time I'm through with you."

After seeing the Krusty Krab's location on the TV, the figure called for a truck.

Back at the Krusty Krab, Eugene discovered it was too much work to both cook and take the orders.

So he posted a want ad in the Bikini Bottom Gazette: " _ **CASHIER WANTED, $7 an hour. KRUSTY KRAB. Call**_ _ **276-5375!** "_

 _._

Pretty soon, a young cephalopod named Squidward Tentacles, nephew of Krabs' old navy buddy Squimothy*, saw the ad in the paper.

His real passion was to be a clarinet player and artist, but he realized everyone starts somewhere, him being only 18 at the time.

He was sick and tired of his band classmate Squilliam Fancyson always rubbing his talent in his face, so he volunteered for the job.

After many months of training, he was finally ready.

*See my first story, " _Krabs' First Mission_ "


	2. Chapter 2: The Return

Meanwhile, in the suburbs of Bikini Bottom, a small figure was muttering about his business. He had been waiting for a truck to tow his restaurant to the Krusty Krab, seeing it was now the only way to advertise it.

He had heard of Krabs' success before: Krabby Patties stealing his customers away from him every chance he got.

Finally, the phone rang.

A voice spoke on the other end. "Hello Bikini Bottom Towing. How may we help you?"

The man responded, "Yes, I'd like my house towed and placed directly across the street from the Krusty Krab."

"The Krusty Kr... Oh, yeah! I love that place! Those Krabby Patties are the best thing I've ever put in- wait. Did you say tow your _HOUSE?_ "

"Yes sir."

"Uh, okay. But remember I get paid for this!"

The phone hung up.

.

Back at the Krusty Krab, it was almost closing time.

Krabs started to get impatient.

"Mr. Squidward, what time is it?"

The cephalopod looked at his watch.

"It's almost 8:00, sir."

"Good, I thought those deadbeats would never leave."

The customers looked at him with contempt.

"Sorry, it just slipped out. I haven't had anything to eat in five hours. And watching meself cook these things is just painful."

The clock at the top of the restaurant rang 8:00.

"All right. _GET OUT!_ **_GET OUT!_** **_ALL OF YOU!"_**

One of the customers looked shocked as the manager took everyone's food out of their hands and threw it away.

"Excuse me, but can we at least take an order to-go?"

"I don't believe in to-go orders. Too risky."

Once every customer left, Krabs turned to his cashier.

"Listen, this is between you and me. The reason I don't believe in to-go orders is because of a certain one-eyed wiz with a science degree: Me old childhood friend Sheldon Plankton grew extremely jealous of me new recipe. And he said he won't stop 'til it falls into his evil hands. Unfortunately I haven't seen him since I was 9, so anyone, _ANYONE_ could be Plankton in disguise."

Krabs stopped in his tracks and turned back to Squidward.

His eyes glared forward at the new applicant, his claws ready to strike.

Suddenly, a rumbling sound was heard and a big truck with a bucket in back stopped right across the street.

After the truck put the object on the ground, Krabs recognized the logo.

Plankton was back.

The door casually swung open and the crab turned to greet his rival.

"Hello... Plankton."

"I am impressed, Eugene. Twenty-five years we last seen each other and we're still on a last-name basis."

He turned to Squidward.

"Who's the new guy?"

"None of your jellyfish-jelly!" Krabs shouted.

Squidward wanted to break the tension.

"My name's Squidward Tentacles. I just applied here."

Krabs and Plankton stopped their bickering and glared at him for interrupting.

"Anyway Krabs, I'll just cut to the chase. Can I have the secret formula?"

Krabs casually replied, "No."

"Okay." The amoeba sulked and walked away from the table which he stood on.

He immediately returned.

"Pretty please?"

Once again, "No."

Plankton exited the restaurant with despair.

.

Meanwhile, back at the Chum Bucket, the amoeba was planning something evil.

"Plankton, what do you think you're doing?" Karen, Plankton's miniature computer wife asked.

The amoeba looked at her with confidence.

"Getting ready to give Krabs a little surprise."

He installed a miniature targeting device and Krabs sensor onto a boat.

"Alright boy, now once Eugene steps out of his restaurant..."

Karen, Plankton's miniature computer, was usually very encouraging of Plankton, but only so he would stop complaining and blaming her for all his failures. But attempted murder was where she drew the line.

After a few minor adjustments, the boat lit up and was ready to do it's master's bidding.


	3. Chapter 3: Truce

Back at his home, Krabs and his wife Martha, a whale, were going about their everyday activities.

Krabs felt a deep depression go over him and he sat sulking in his chair.

"Eugene honey. What's wrong?" His wife asked him.

"It's me business. I have a booming restaurant, customers are giving me money by the boatful, me competition is green with envy, but I feel strangely empty."

"Well have you ever thought about helping someone?"

Krabs responded. "As long as it's not me arch-rival Sheldon Plankton."

"Who's he?", his wife inquired.

"Well we were friends back in grade school, then we both went into the culinary business. His recipe was a flop, while mine won the hearts of millions. He said he wouldn't stop, he even threatens to kill me to retrieve it."

Martha suddenly got an idea.

"How about you make up with Mr. Plankton. Make him a new recipe; one he can use."

"And have him steal my customers... Wait a minute!" Realization struck the young crustacean in a way he never thought before.

"People don't own each other. And if Plankton wants a recipe, then darn tooten, I'm gonna give him one!"

Eugene purchased a cookbook, tore out a page of breakfast items and was ready to mail it.

.

.

Meanwhile, at the Chum Bucket, the killer boat Plankton had worked on blew a fuse, and started chasing him around his home, crashing into things.

"Karen, shut it off! **_SHUT IT OFF!_** " the amoeba yelled.

An extendable claw arm rose from a machine wired to his wife's computerized body.

It reached over to a buttton, pushed it, and instantly the boat slammed to a stop.

"D'oh! This happens every time I work on something! But I have an idea in case Plan A fails."

A few hours later, Plankton exited his laboratory to show Karen his new invention.

"Behold! The Memory Extractor! Not only does it pass the knowledge into it's being, but it actually steals it from the subject itself, i.e. Krabs. Bweeeeaaaahhhh heh heh heh heh ha ha ha ha!"

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get to work on my boat." Plankton went back to his work and the boat was finished.

The evil organism put it next to Krabs' restaurant. But that gave him some ideas:

1\. He put a cloaking device on it, then invented a special contact lens for him to wear that enabled him to see the boat. It was just for the sake of seeing the object that would kill his rival.

2\. Since Plankton just got back, Krabs would anticipate his every move. So he would wait about a week until Krabs' guard finally dropped. Then he would strike.

.

.

Flash forward a week later.

.

.

Plankton woke up after one sleepless night. Either that or he had been sleeping too much.

Whatever it was, he had no idea what had happened.

A peculiar thing came over him. He decided to check his mailbox.

"Muurrmmhh." He groggily staggered outside.

"Gotta be somethin' other than bills in here."

He came back inside and rifled through the contents.

Then he spotted some bizzare recipes that strangely enough did not contain chum.

Something powerful came over him and he completely forgot about his megalomaniac side.

He decided to give these new foods a test.

After three pain-staking hours of cooking, he tasted the food. His body took off like a rocket.

He ran to his wife and told her his new plan.

"Karen, I'm glad I caught you. I finally realize what I can do with my life."

The computer got ready to ask him a question, but was hit by the final leak from the extractor; the first one hit Plankton while he was sleeping.

"What the...?"

He went to his laboratory and fixed the leak in his machine.

"Darn thing... Anyway, a new purpose just arose within me!"

Plankton decided to turn the Chum Bucket into a real resaurant.

He tore out the tile and put in hardwood floors.

He got rid of the riveted walls, and decorated it with wallpaper.

He put place mats on his tables.

And finally, he put up a banner announcing his new name: The Breakfast Bucket.

Everything was now going smooth sailing for him.

.

.

Meanwhile

.

.

It was yet another normal day at the Krusty Krab. Customers enjoying their Krabby Patties.

Squidward noticed something very peculiar: The Chum Bucket looked very different.

Everything about it was colorful and inviting.

Almost as if Plankton had become a different creature. That and there was a new sign atop his home: Plankton's Breakfast Bucket.

The cephalopod went to his employer's kitchen to tell him the news.

Eugene wasn't the least bit surprised.

"Calm down, Squidward. It was actually my idea. I sent him some recipes, and now he's living it up like me. Oh, how I wish I could congratulate him if I weren't so busy."

"Why don't you wait until both of you are done with work?"

Krabs looked very puzzled.

"I don't know. I'm pretty sure he still remembers our rivalry."

"But I'll do it."

.

.

At the Breakfast Bucket

.

.

Plankton was busy counting his loot when Krabs burst in.

"Krabs! What are you doing here?"

"I just came to congratulate you on your new business."

Plankton was very surprised. He never expected his rival to congratulate him.

"Uh... thanks Eugene. That means a lot to me."

He held out his hand to the crab, who was at eye level due to Plankton standing on his table.

"What do you say. Truce?"

Krabs agreed, "Truce!"

He and Plankton walked toward the kitchen where he was busy with some cinammon rolls.

"Listen Sheldon. Would you be surprised if I told you I sent you those recipes?"

Plankton hesitated for a moment.

"Actually now that you told me, I'm not that surprised."

Krabs responded, "Well, I realized that's mostly what you wanted in life. I would've done it sooner but my cheapness sort of got in the way."

Plankton offered Krabs a bite of one of his recipes, and the crustacean left him with a final word of support.

.

.

As the crab walked back toward his restaurant, he felt a painful sensation come over him.

The next thing he knew, he was on the ground struggling for help.

Plankton was about to rush over to help him, but suddenly he was blown back by a force which sent him flying.

He completely forgot about the invisible boat.

By sheer coincidence, he landed right near the memory extractor, which blew a fuse, wiping away every moment of their truce.

Finally the Bucket exploded, destroying all the new recipes.

An ambulance arrived shortly to pick up the two businessmen.

Both of them were rushed to the hospital with two very separate cases of brain damage.


End file.
